‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Are Congratulating Ken Jennings on His Incredible Hosting News
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The Jeopardy! fandom never passes up an opportunity to celebrate Ken Jennings.
Since the Jeopardy! legend first stepped up to the lectern in January 2021, he has officially hosted 100 episodes of the quiz show. Though a new permanent Jeopardy! host has yet to be announced, fans are wholeheartedly celebrating the TV personality’s latest accomplishment.
A fellow Jeopardy! fan brought the incredible milestone to Ken’s attention on March 11, just minutes before the centennial episode aired on the East Coast. As viewers know, Ken returned to the Jeopardy! stage early last year to be the first guest host of season 37. Following his six-week run at the show’s podium, The Chase star came back in September to cohost with The Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik.
“Congratulations to @KenJennings, celebrating his 100th night of hosting Jeopardy!” the fan wrote on Twitter. “This has been his longest streak, and we hope it continues for many games to come. 🧠 .”
Shortly after, Ken caught wind of the congratulatory messages he was receiving on social media and took to his own Twitter to share a few words. In his signature way, he added his own intellectual twist to his tweet — this time by mentioning journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 hour rule from his book Outliers.
“Apparently tonight is my 100th time hosting Jeopardy!, which means (a) I have now hosted more games than I played, and (b) I’m just 9,950 hours away from achieving Malcolm Gladwell-style mastery,” Ken wrote.
Reacting to his extraordinary career news, Jeopardy! fans headed to his comments section to applaud him. “Congratulations! You seem more comfortable on stage now and you’re doing an excellent job 👏👏👏 Thank you!” one person wrote. “Congratulations and thank you for continuing Alex’s legacy with charm and grace,” another added.
What’s more, some even admitted that despite doubting his abilities at first, he managed to change their minds. “You’re doing a great job. I was skeptical at first but you’ve rapidly grown into the role. You keep the flavor of the show while adding your own touch. Well done,” someone tweeted.
Unsurprisingly, a majority of fans wished out loud that Ken would become the next face of the quiz show. “Congratulations Ken. What’s the hold up in @Jeopardy naming you permanent host? You’re amazing & the rightful heir. Your ease, humor and connection [with] contestants is exactly what the show needs. I prefer to think of this as your first 100 shows hosting,” a follower commented.
Even though Ken is currently a consulting producer role on the show, there’s a good chance he’ll be named the next permanent host (especially after the news that he’s leaving The Chase). Among the kind messages fans left behind, one of them asked Ken to reflect on how far he’s come. “Can you imagine if someone had told you on your first time as a contestant that you would be hosting one day?” it read.
